Vanitas and Xion: Till Death do Us Part
by TheDarkestZero
Summary: My first 100 Theme Challenge. Xion and Vanitas find out about their true love towards one another. Throughout a series of events, Vanitas and Xion must brave the horrors of a true relationship considering their past. What will happen? One continuous storyline that details their dramatic, romantic, and angst-y lives that these two opposites have together.
1. Life

**1. Life**

**Word Count: 350  
****POV: 3rd Person  
Vanitas: 1 1/2 Years Old  
Xion: Few minutes old**

The miracle of life was always exciting. Once you gave birth, you knew that the weight of not bringing life into the world is lifted off of your shoulders. Lying in her mother's arms, short black hair and beautiful blue eyes, is _Xion_. Her entire family and their friends were all standing in a circle around the hospital bed, marveling in the birth of Xion.

One of the family's closest friends has a young one and a half year old boy with spikey black hair and mesmerizing golden eyes. _Vanitas _was raised into the air so he could get a better look at the baby. In Vanitas's eyes, this baby was the most precious thing he had ever seen.

His father put him down on the bed to the side of Xion's mother. Vanitas looked at Xion with amazement, and held his hand out to the newborn. Xion's eyes didn't open, yet she moved her hand closer to Vanitas's. Within seconds, her tiny little hand was grabbing a hold of Vanitas's finger.

Vanitas smiled, but it was cut short when he was lifted up into the air by his father, ripping his finger away from the baby Xion's grasp. Vanitas was placed onto his father's shoulder, staring down at the baby with sadness. And then they heard the whimpering. Then the screaming.

Xion started crying loudly at the lack of Vanitas's presence next to her. Everyone looked to the baby who wouldn't stop crying. To test out their theory, Vanitas was put back into the bed with Xion and her mother, and Xion had stopped crying. It was as if being around Vanitas comforted her, being one of the first people she ever touched.

Everyone let out a respective "Aww!" and Xion had started staring at Vanitas. Vanitas had stayed quiet most of the time, and he put a hand on the baby's head, and Xion didn't cry. Nobody knew why she was warming up to Vanitas so quickly, but it was a satisfying sight.

"That's Xion," Vanitas's father said to his son.

Vanitas smiled in return. "Xion…" he said.


	2. Youth

**2. Youth**

**Word Count: 350  
POV: 3rd Person  
Vanitas: Ten years old  
Xion: Nine years old**

Stepsiblings, forced to hang out with each other every day because his mom and her dad had decided to get married. Xion had always stayed in her bed, reading several novels silently to herself despite being only nine years old. And yet Vanitas, her new ten year old stepbrother insisted on running around the house for _no_ reason with his childish little friends.

The entirety of Xion's youth was being slowly ruined by this maniac of a stepbrother who never knew how to shut up, and she was forever reduced to just reading without getting a moment's silence. And her door opened up for the _umpteenth _time, Vanitas and the three of his friends entering her room without warning.

His friends, Ventus and Terra or whatever they were called—ten and twelve years old respectively—had tackled each other several times inside her room, and then pushed each other out of the room. Vanitas, however, lingered for an odd reason, staring at his stepsister longingly.

"Come on, Xion, you can play with us, you know," Vanitas said, waltzing to her bed and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You don't always have to read."

Xion glared at Vanitas with hateful eyes and snapped back, "I do if I want to drown the three of you out." Those words caused Vanitas to go ballistic. _Again_.

He tackled her down, he himself landing on the bed on top of her, his eyes staring into hers. "Why would you want to drown us out? We're only having fun, which is what you should have."

Despite him being a complete moron, Xion couldn't help but notice how much her brother really looked. She had always seen an idiot inside a cute boy's body. She could barely handle being in the same room with him, and now he was lying on top of her.

"Why are you staring?" Vanitas asked, arching an eyebrow. He leaned his face closer to hers, and she nearly yelped in surprise when his warm lips were pressed against her forehead. Before she could say anything, Vanitas said, "Don't tell anyone."


	3. Content

**3. Content**

**Word Count: 350  
POV: 3rd Person  
Vanitas: Eleven years old  
Xion: Ten years old**

She was ten and he was eleven. Xion had never truly accepted her stepbrother. He might have amused her when she was little, but he never satisfied her anymore. To her, he was the idiotic brother and she was the superior, smart one. And she had always resented _Vanitas_. Why would anyone even like this guy, she always thought to herself. A true mystery.

Finally, the night has come where he _didn't _have friends over, and that Xion could at last read and sleep in peace without hearing Ventus scream like a baby, Terra being too rough around Ventus, or Vanitas's ridiculous attempts to flirt with Aqua. All was quiet.

And speak of the devil himself, Vanitas entered her room without batting an eye and approached her, gripping her arm tightly and saying, "Hey, Xion, mom and dad left, so, you wanna just hang out?"

Xion refused to answer him. Vanitas jumped into her bed with her, sitting to the side of her. He tried to scoot away from the persistent boy, but he kept getting closer and making her feel uncomfortable. But something about being next to him felt _right_.

"I don't know why, but I like you," Vanitas said softly, glaring into the girl's sweet blue eyes. "I don't like you as a sister. Or, er, stepsister. I like you…like you _that_ way."

Vanitas took no time in telling her what he was really feeling inside. Xion, for the first time in forever, felt content that Vanitas was in her life. If he wasn't there, she wouldn't be able to handle the utter boredom she'd have every day. Despite him being extremely annoying, Xion loved how upfront he was about sharing his feelings with her.

But did she feel the same way?

Vanitas slipped his hand in hers, to which she quickly jerked away, standing up and saying, "No, this isn't right!" Vanitas calmed her by grabbing hold of her hand, pulling her back into bed with him. "I'm too young."

"You are not too young to have feelings," Vanitas replied with a smile, kissing her hand gently.


	4. Change

**4. Change  
**

**Word Count: 400  
POV: Xion  
Vanitas: Thirteen years old  
Xion: Twelve years old**

I wasn't sure what had happened to my stepbrother, but he seemed a tad different. He always lingered in the bathroom staring at his reflection as he flexed those muscles that he had only gotten by playing on the football team at school. And he seemed almost distant. I hardly ever talked to him anymore.

Of course, I think that dad could've caused this. Just the other day he had explained _everything_ and how people's bodies change through puberty, and then everything else from _sex_ to _porn_. The man could've laid off a couple of the details that I really _did not_ want to hear.

I walked to the bathroom one morning to get dressed, and I had saw Vanitas in there, still glancing at his body in the mirror. And—_dare I say it_—he was completely naked. I quickly shut my eyes and tried walking away, but a single hand grabbed my wrist.

"Xion, I'm changing, you know," Vanitas replied. "I'm not the crazy kid you once knew."

"Right, right," I replied. "You're the crazy kid who stares at his naked self all day long now." Vanitas scowled at my comment.

And then Vanitas had embraced me in a tight hug, his entire body pressing against mine. It was like he had given me no choice but to return the hug by wrapping my arms around the bare expanse of his back.

"You may not be changing in ways like I am," Vanitas spoke into my ear, whispering and easing my nerves. "But I hope your feelings for me are changing. Because this is how I feel, Xion." We broke free from each other for a moment, only for him to return and kiss me straight on the lips.

I shouldn't have been feeling this way, but I did. Vanitas made me feel happy, despite the hell he had once put me through by being, well, my brother. As I returned the kiss rather hesitantly, I looked down at his naked body without feeling awkward.

If he was willing to show himself around me without being embarrassed, I couldn't show embarrassment being on the receiving end. I looked up to Vanitas's eyes and muttered, "What if we get caught doing this?"

"Getting caught for showing affection?" Vanitas asked with sarcasm in his voice. "I don't see what's wrong with that."

And with that, we enjoyed each other's company.


	5. Dreams

**5. Dreams**

**Word Count: 350  
POV: Xion  
Vanitas: Thirteen years old  
Xion: Twelve years old**

All I saw was blackness. I walked forward and suddenly the entire place before me was illuminated. Standing there with his smug smile was my stepbrother Vanitas, holding his hand out to me as if beckoning me to grab it. I kept walking towards him and soon grabbed hold of his hand. I felt a warmth that couldn't be described in words even if I tried.

For some reason, a tear rolled down my cheek. Vanitas sunk into the black abyss underneath him, and I was suddenly filled with grief and sadness. I broke down and fell onto my knees, bawling my eyes out in the blackness. I was overwhelmingly sad and I didn't even know why.

"Is this what you want?" a voice said in my head. Vanitas's voice. He rose from the blackness suddenly and held his arms out, waiting for me to grab his hands. "Without me, you'll feel all this sadness you're keeping bottle up."

He vanished in a flurry of darkness and reappeared behind me. Without even bothering to look back at him, his two arms wrapped around my neck in a warm embrace. As this happened, Vanitas's voice spoke to me, "Stay with me forever and you never have to fill this pain anymore."

And just like that, the sadness had all but left my heart. Vanitas appeared in front of me, completely naked as he had been a few days ago in front of the mirror. He wrapped his arms around my neck and leaned in to give me a kiss. We locked lips for over a minute, me not wanting this moment to ever end.

As we kissed I stroked Vanitas's back, feeling up and down his muscles. Vanitas pulled his face away from mine and looked into my eyes with a stare that just wouldn't end. "We'll be together forever," Vanitas said calmly. I bent down and kissed his chest as he played with my hair.

And then the two of us kissed each other one last time, and he dissolved into light. When my eyes opened, I had finally awoken.


	6. Pessimistic

**6. Pessimistic **

**Word Count: 350  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Thirteen  
Xion: Twelve**

Xion was always thinking of the worst possible outcome. She never _wanted_ me at all. Or, if she did want me, she sure as hell didn't show it. Anytime I tried to make a move on her, she'd either say she's too young, or that I was a lunatic and then lock herself up in the room for god knows how long.

This day was one of those times. I waited by her door impatiently waiting for her to open it for me, but I only got a scream in response to get away from her. So what do I do? I pick the lock, that's what. The door slammed open from the force of my push, and I rushed into the room looking for Xion, who was sitting on her bed, looking at me with those puppy dog eyes.

"Xion, let's talk about this," I said, trying to do things rationally, but Xion shook her head hard in response. "Xion, if I'm in love with you, and you me, then nothing's wrong!"

"I can't love you!" Xion shouted. "You're my brother!"

"Step!" I snapped back, getting her to finally realized we're not of the same blood. "The more you fight it, the more I'll fight for you!"

"What if I don't want to be fought for," Xion pouted. Of course she would do this. She's just in denial of her true feelings. I rushed to her and grabbed her arms, pinning her to her bed as I looked down at her, trying to keep a smile. "Fine, I like you, but dad could—"

"Dad could what!?" I yelled out. The old fool couldn't do anything to stand in the way of true love. I believed in true love, and Xion was the vision of beauty that I have seen since she was born. I loving her was so wrong, I didn't want to be right. Wow, how clichéd is that old line? But I truly did love this girl.

I sat in bed beside her and allowed her to sit up, and she wrapped her arms around me.


	7. Pirate

**7. Pirate**

**Word Count: 461  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fourteen years old  
Xion: Thirteen years old  
Setting: AU (Different setting from the rest of the story)**

Off the coast of the Atlantic, the salty sea breeze whipped at my face and at my hair as I stared out into the beautiful, crystal-blue sea. In my hand was the most delicious thing in the world to eat. The wonderful, salty yet sweet Sea-Salt Ice-Cream was delicious as I ran my tongue along the full expanse of its blue surface. My bare feet slid a little on the tiny bit of water that was on the deck.

"Ahoy, there is something in the water!" a British voice said from the watchtower, and I looked up to see Captain Luxord staring into the sea with a small telescope. "Vanitas, dive in!"

I rushed to the plank and ran to the edge of it, my toes on the edge, and I looked down to see a shadowy figure just under the surface of the water. In seconds arms were flailing underneath the sea, but once they stopped, I knew I had to hurry up and stop whoever it was from drowning.

I clapped my hands together and expertly dove in, my body sliding through the water gracefully as I sunk into the deep. My eyes stared through the blue of the water, shadows dancing around while just barely obscuring my vision. I was a few feet away from a girl, who had started sinking down.

I nearly flew underwater towards the girl, my arms wrapping around her as I rose to the surface, my feet kicking wildly as I swam upward. Both my head and the girl's head broke free of the water, and I swam to the small life raft that was soon raised back to the deck of the ship by the captain's first mate, Braig.

I laid the black haired beauty on the deck, and started pumping her chest. She didn't spit out any of the water she had probably had lodged in her throat, so I gave her mouth to mouth, breathed in, and exhaled to the side, then I repeated the process. I did everything Luxord had shown me about CPR.

At last, the girl spit out water, the salty sea splashing into my face and I shook my head to get the water to fly off. The girl opened her blue eyes and muttered, "Where…am I? What am I…here for?"

"You're safe now," I replied to her. "I'm Vanitas. And you?"

The girl sat up on her own and muttered, "Xion.."

"You're beautiful," I said without thinking, and the girl just blushed. "You're going to stay with us for a while, until we get to shore." I heard Braig behind me trying to yell at me for being such an idiot, but I disregarded it. "Is that alright with you?"

"Yep," came the girl's response.


	8. Novel

**8. Novel**

**Word Count: 408  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fourteen years old  
Xion: Thirteen years old**

I wasn't quite the academic type. My grades were all D's or F's, and any test I had, even before I started it, was destined to fail. Anytime I wanted help on anything, I would ask Xion but she would never give me the answers. But I did, however, have a passion for writing when I _wanted_ to or if I had an idea in my head.

This was one of those moments. Using my laptop which sat on my wooden desk, I opened up a generic Microsoft Word 2010 document, and put my fingers to work in the first time in nearly forever. Normally I'm the one who would love adventure stories, action-packed stories, and sci-fi… anything of the sort. Romance…I wasn't generally to psyched about those kinds of stories.

But now, here I was, writing one. I had realized before long that I had about five pages just telling the reader about my infatuation and love for Xion. In the first chapter, I smiled at the first sentence I had typed. _"__When I met that vision of beauty, every inch of my body melted as I found myself unable to speak."_

I had continued on through the night until I found myself on chapter eleven, where I was already at that phase to talk to Xion about sex. I may be young, but I know exactly how to write a great romance novel. _"__As Xion and I lay in bed together, the light of the stars outside dancing around our dark room, we had turned towards each other and kissed each other passionately."_

The sun had almost arisen when I found myself on the last chapter already. I had never thought it was possible. I looked into the mirror to the side of my desk, and saw dark bags under my eyes as I finally realized I had stayed up the entire night typing.

The door creaked open, and in walked Xion of all people and immediately became interested in my work on the laptop. I quickly shut the laptop before she could read it. "Rude," she told me in my ear, and opened it again, typing in the password—which she somehow knew was her own name—and looked at the document, reading the last page down to the very last sentence.

_"__Will you marry me, Xion?"_

Xion faced the laptop towards her and typed in two words to finish off the story. "I do."


	9. Garden

**9. Garden**

**Word Count: 350  
POV: Third Person  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

After Xion's mother had died a few weeks ago, her garden had all but been abandoned. It was a small, quiet garden within a small room in their house. After Xion's mother had passed, Xion had refused to accept it and buried herself in that sacred place disallowing Vanitas to comfort her. But that just didn't work for Vanitas. He picked the lock and stepped in, the smell of cherry blossoms and an assortment of roses filling the air around him. He reached to the side and flipped the light switch, the bright chandelier above him illuminating the dark room.

Several rows of flowerbeds as well as shelves full of pots that held a number of foreign flowers from other places. Standing in the center of the room, her back to Vanitas, was Xion. She slowly turned to Vanitas and with tears in her eyes, said, "Please leave me be."

"No," Vanitas snapped back, grabbing Xion's arms and staring into her eyes intently. "You need to snap out of it." Xion shook her head. "Fine then, I might as well stay here with you." At Xion's signs of protests, Vanitas simply ignored her and went back to the door, closing it and locking himself and Xion in there. "See, we can be alone here together."

Xion went to the shelf with all of the different flowerpots on it, and grabbed a pot, a shiny blue rose in it with the stem a light pink color. All around the blue rose were several smaller pink roses, and it gave off a scent similar to the sea.

"The Sea-Salt Rose," Xion said between sniffs. "Mom's favorite." To comfort her, Vanitas wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, not even startling her as he thought it would.

"The blue represents peace, freedom, and the endless ocean that holds endless possibilities," Vanitas said, quoting what Xion's mom had told them before.

"And the pink represents love," Xion continued her mother's quote, "and the undying bond between family, friends, and soul mates." She held Vanitas's hand, and he sniffed the flower as well, smiling.


	10. Doom

**10. Doom**

**Word Count: 500  
POV: Xion Person  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

For four weeks now, Vanitas had always comforted me when I thought about my mom. He made me feel happiness. Something I hadn't felt in a very long time. I was starting to think he was right. Right about us being together forever, and being soul mates. Our destiny extended far beyond what anybody would have told us. And the way he says it, it is not incest, since we aren't blood. That's lucky for us, I guess.

But what about Vanitas's dad? If he saw us doing anything out of the ordinary, a lot of things could happen that would take a turn for the worse.

Vanitas and I lay in his bed, him lying on top of me with his shirt, shoes, and socks off as he laid a kiss on my lips. His lips were soft and warm, and nothing I'd expected from someone who was normally rough. We were too caught up in the heat of the moment that we had failed to hear the creaking of the door. "What the hell!?" came the gruff voice from the doorway.

Vanitas must have jumped so hard that it sent me flying off of the bed and Vanitas flipping off the other side of it. He scrambled to his feet, looking into the gaze of his father that held pure hatred.

"What are you doing, Vani?" the man screamed at the top of his lungs, shoving Vanitas hard against the wall as he rushed to me. "Vanitas!" I screamed out, scared of how badly he had hurt him.

The man sat on the bed close to me, saying, "Did Vanitas hurt you? What happened?"

"N-no," I stuttered back, the man's eyes holding a little bit of either surprise, fear, or anger, or a mixture of all three. "V-Vanitas kissed me because _I_...I w-wanted him to...I'm s-sorry!"

"You two are disgusting!" Vanitas's father yelled at me, turning his head towards his son who was slowly getting to his feet, wiping the blood from his nose. "What the fuck is wrong with you two? Brothers and sisters don't do that sort of thing!"

"Dad, you can't stop two people from loving each other," Vanitas replied back, standing tall on his bed and towering above his father. "We are not blood. And she loves me. I love her. Now stop getting in the way." His father made a move that looked like he would soon slap Vanitas, but Vanitas kicked the man in the face, his dad tumbling to the ground. Vanitas's dad grabbed him by the foot and yanked on it, my step-brother falling to the ground on top of him.

Vanitas and his father exchanged punches, when I yelled, "_ENOUGH_!" Both my soul mate and his dat looked to me, and in that one moment of distraction, his father grabbed Vanitas around the waist with two hands, lifting the teen into the air and carrying him out of the room.

I knew our relationship was doomed. So I wept.


	11. Sadness

**11. Sadness**

**Word Count: 400  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

Since the day my dad found out about me and Xion's love for one another, he had kept me grounded for three weeks so far, but it felt like an endless eternity to me. I was usually the cool kid in school, with the amazing parents, the annoyingly smart sister, and the dream life. Not to mention athletic, a talented writer, and an amazing kisser. But how could a cool guy like me…cry like an utter wimp?

I would hear Xion crying from way in her room, and just the sound of her whimpering made my heart split in two. And—dare I say it—I cried as well. I, for the first time, had felt completely alone. I wasn't allowed to leave my room except for school purposes or to go to the restroom—which didn't help since my room had its own restroom—and I couldn't take this anymore.

I couldn't see or talk to Xion, I couldn't have Terra, Ventus, or Aqua around, every day my dad constantly reminded me that I was "going to hell" and there was "nothing I could do to stop it". I had grown used to the fact that I was basically a prisoner. Even though Xion had admitted to liking me as well, she had a far less severe punishment.

She was able to have Aqua, Kairi, and Naminé over, but they weren't allowed to to talk or try and communicate with me. But she refused. She would rather be with me than her friends. That made me so happy on the inside, but I still felt sad.

I heard movement outside of my door. A piece of paper slipped into my room from underneath, and on it I saw the wonderful handwriting of Xion on it. I lifted it up and smiled at the words she wrote on it.

_"__You may not be able to talk to me, but I'll keep in touch with you. __Our love is eternal. Right, Vani?"_

I smiled and clutched the paper close to my heart, hearing my sweet Xion's voice ringing in my head.


	12. Confusion

**12. Confusion**

**Word Count: 400  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

It started with a knock on my door. I thought it was my dad checking up on me, and when I opened it, I had saw Xion, a blackened eye and a broken lip, as she collapsed into my room by my feet. Her hair and clothing were a tattered mess. She grabbed at the carpet with her nails and attempted to push herself up. "Xion!" I grabbed her hand and helped her up, staring into her bloodshot blue eyes. "Who did this to you?"

"F-father…" she muttered in fear, and gripped my shirt with her nails, ripping holes in them as she trembled. "He saw me writing…the notes…please help me…"

The notes she had been writing for the past two weeks. Dad had _just_ finally caught her. I helped her onto my bed and onto my lap, all the while staring at the doorway, expecting Dad to be standing in the doorway or at least close to it. I grabbed Xion's shoulders and said, "How could he do this to you? You only wanted to communicate…"

"He did this right before he went to work…as if he didn't care…" Xion sniffled, breathing into my shoulder as I rocked her in my lap to sooth her. "And now I'm scared…I can't live here any longer. He'll kill us eventually…ow…" She placed a hand over a black eye. "Let's leave before he comes back—"

Before she could finish her thought, we heard a steady knock on the door and it opened, revealing woman with blond hair and green eyes. She had on a police's uniform. "Sheriff Larxene…" Xion muttered, remembering the name of this woman who was friends with Dad. Why was she here? "What's the matter?"

"What the hell happened to you?" Larxene said suddenly, taking notice of Xion's grotesque appearance. "Anyway, I must confess that something terrible had happened. Your father collapsed at work today at around three-thirty this afternoon."

"He what?" I asked.

"You wouldn't happen to know if he had any medical problems," Larxene began, turning her back to us as she put her hands behind her back, looking as if deep in thought. "Excessive headaches, chronic dizziness, or anything else?"

"No," Xion replied. "He's never shown any of that."

"I'll need you to come with me," Larxene replied, turning back to us. "He's currently in the hospital."

Xion and I stepped off of my bed.


	13. Freedom

**13. Freedom**

**Word Count: 476  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

Ever since Dad found out about me and Xion, our life had been complicated, even more so than when Xion's mom had passed. Xion was reduced to sending letters to me without being caught. A lot of good that did her. She was now black and blue and red allover and was currently in the waiting room of the Twilight Town Medical Center wrapped in a blanket while she drank hot chocolate.

I, on the other hand, remained in the operating room with Dad. He was connected to a huge machine that pumped air into his lungs. He hadn't been able to breathe since the _accident_. Officer Larxene entered the room with a smug smile as she said, "Hey, kiddie, how's it going?" This woman had always pissed me off.

"Hey, Larxene," I mustered out, hating her guts but deciding not to show it. Before the blonde bitch could respond, my father's heartbeat had stopped and the machine that detected the beat went dead, making the steady _beeeeeeeeeeep _noise that usually signified what every person would normally fear.

"We need someone over here!" Larxene screamed out professionally as if she'd been in this position before. Oh wait, she has. She was the one investigating Xion's mother's death. The doctors had arrived and began sending electric shocks through the man's body to stimulate a heartbeat, but nothing would work.

They had finally stopped. Larxene put on a saddened face that was _so_ not convincing, and she looked at her watch. "Time of death, eleven-thirty P.M." She looked to me. "Sorry, Vani." She then pulled me aside after noticing I didn't even shed a tear. "Vanitas, we need to discuss your father's death. I found this in his jacket pocket when we arrived at his workplace."

She took out of her pocket a small needle that had the remnants of some light blue liquid that seemed to try and bubble up. "A needle?" I asked.

"Correct," Larxene replied. "Before he collapsed at his workplace, he injected himself with this mysterious unknown-to-man substance. We think this could be a form of suicide." My eyes widened. "Any idea of why he would want to kill himself?"

"He hurt Xion," was all I could reply, and as if on cue and as if she had already heard the news about Dad, she sulked into the room with most of her injuries covered up, tears in her eyes. "Xion…" I walked to her, grabbing her hands in mine. "He's dead…there's nobody to stop us now."

She arched a curious eye now, and Larxene just smirked at how I kept calm after the death of my only remaining family member. "What do you mean?" Both her and Larxene asked in unison.

"We're free," I replied. "Free to do what we want. Our love…" I hugged her tightly as Larxene walked away. "Our freedom."


	14. Inevitable

**14. Inevitable**

**Word Count: 400  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

Dad had died a day ago…I hope it taught the bastard a lesson. He had hurt Xion in more ways than one from taking me from her to beating her up and then killing himself like nothing had happened. Well, it did happen, but at least now we were free. Free to be who we were. Since both Mother and Father were dead…Xion and I considered ourselves to be no longer stepsiblings.

And I can't help but feel that this was our unescapable, unavoidable, inevitable destiny that the meeting of our parents had prepared for us. And once our parents' jobs were done, they would be killed so we could be together. Had fate planned this all along, I wonder? Was there any reason for the unexplainable act of love the two of us share?

Xion and I did not know.

And we weren't sure how, but Officer Larxene now has our lives covered. She pulled some strings…despite being the minors that we were, she was letting Xion and I living alone together while Larxene paid our bills to let us stay. I wasn't sure what was going on through that head of hers. But could we really complain?

The door to my room creaked open, and in came Xion with her entire body repaired from the incident caused by my father. She looked as good as new, and even more beautiful than she ever had been. She jumped into bed with me and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my lips as we fell over together, laughing.

"Oh, my god," a voice said, startling the two of us. I sat up quickly and saw Aqua of all people in my doorway, a hand over her mouth in an awed expression.

"Wait, Aqua!" Xion shouted as Aqua began backing up towards the door. "Don't tell anybody yet. Please." Her sweet voice sure was persuasive.

"Fine, but…isn't it a little soon…?" Aqua asked back. "You're dad _just_—" Xion gave her a look to not talk about _that man_. "As long as the two of you aren't blood, then I guess—"

"That doesn't even matter," I replied, standing on the bed while staring at the blue haired girl before us. "Even if we were blood, our connection would still be inevitable." Aqua smiled as I held onto Xion's hand.

"True love," Aqua replied. "So romantic. Just…don't hurt her…" I frowned.


	15. Girl's Night

**15. Girl's Night **

**Word Count: 500  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

After a month of living under the same room together, of course we may need to see other people to keep things entertaining. And I don't mean romantically. I mean friendship-wise. She was bored today and asked to have her best friends over. And within an hour, the first to show up was Aqua.

"Hey, love birds!" Aqua said in a cheery voice. I had told her to put a lid on our relationship for now, and she snapped back, "Okay, fine, I'm sorry."

The next to arrive was Kairi, a bag of un-popped popcorn in one hand and a two liter bottle of Sprite, Xion's favorite. "Hey, guys," Kairi said as she placed her supplies on the table in the kitchen, just as Naminé at last entered the house with Selphie and Olette behind her, each holding a different bag of chips.

Normally I'd be against all of this, but Xion had practically begged me to let her have a friend over. And remember, I said that she had wanted _a_ friend. This was five friends. Before I realized my love for Xion, I would've had as many girls over here in an instant. But now I couldn't focus on that now, no matter how much Aqua's eyes sparkled or Kairi's hair swayed from side to side or how quiet and shy Naminé was.

"Why are all of them here?" I asked to Xion, and she just shrugged. "Is this that one friend you wanted to have over? Sure doesn't seem like it."

"But we'll have so much fun!" Xion replied happily. "You can play board games with us—"

"Think I'll pass," I replied, laying on the couch in the living room and passing out. It must have been a few hours that I was asleep. When I opened one of my eyes, I saw Xion, Kairi, Naminé, Aqua, Olette, and Selphie sitting in a circle in the middle of what appeared to be a Truth or Dare game.

"Truth," Xion said in the direction of Kairi.

"Okay," Kairi said with an evil smirk. "It's so obvious that you and Vanitas love each other more than siblings should—" The girls looked in my direction, and I just closed my eye so they didn't know I was awake, and so I could snoop into their conversations. "Have the two of you had your first time yet?"

I jumped at that, and could tell Xion jumped as well. "Kairi!" Aqua and Naminé shouted in unison.

"No, I haven't," Xion replied. "That's the truth."

"Okay, dare time," Kairi said, giggling. "Xion, I dare you to ask Vanitas to initiate your first time with him. Then tell us all about it."

"But…" I heard Xion say. To have her avoid further embarrassment, I pretended to yawn as I slowly sat up, asking them what was going on.

What would Xion do? Time would only tell. I wouldn't want to force her into anything. I would have to wait for her.

Great.


	16. Vampire

**16. Vampire **

**Word Count: 350  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Fifteen years old  
Xion: Fourteen years old**

I really didn't understand Xion's fascination for these vampire movies. Was it for the romance, the action, or the stereotypical biting of the neck turns you into a vampire.

Xion and I cuddled in my bed. We were watching one of these movies when Xion looked at me and muttered, "Hey, Vani, you wouldn't happen to be a vampire, would you?"

"Why would a guy like me be some undead creep with fangs?" I asked her, kissing her on the lips at the exact moment someone in the movie had gotten slaughtered by a vampire. Most of these movie nights the two of us completely ignore the movie and pay more attention to each other. After all, when we're together, the two of us are a lot more entertaining.

"But vampires are cool," Xion replied. "Cooler than you." Burn. I smirked at her and pecked her on the cheek, and then opened my mouth wide. "Aw, I don't see any fangs there. Maybe you should get teeth implants, eh, Vani?"

"Maybe," I told her, and bit her neck rather hard. Xion started laughing as I was getting into character as a vampire, but I may have gotten a little too carried away. I heard Xion start to moan a little, and _not_ of pleasure. "What's the matter?" I asked while biting.

"Taking this…way to seriously…" Xion muffled out, but I hadn't really listened to her. I bit harder, and at last I had finally snapped out of it when Xion squealed a little loudly. "Vanitas!" I lifted my head away from her neck and saw a large red mark in place of where I bit her…and I saw the faintest sight of blood. "What's wrong?" She caught my stare.

"Um…" I replied, unsure of what exactly to say. "I bit you and…there's blood and…" Instead of trying to cover it up, I just smiled and licked Xion's neck, trying to wipe off the slight blood…with my tongue. "Looks like I'm a vampire, huh?"

"Did you seriously just…" Xion muttered. I stared at the red bite mark, and I just smiled.


	17. Tornado

**17. Tornado **

**Word Count: 500  
POV: Xion  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

The wind whipped wildly at the trees, and each individual branch slapped against the windows with full force. A few spots on the ceiling had water dripping from them. The rain was beating against the pavement outside. I stood up against the wall with my my arms crossed on my knees and my head in my lap. I absolutely hated storms, but Vanitas seemed to love them. I looked up from my position to see Vanitas standing in the doorway, letting in the fierce wind and rain.

"Can you _please_ get inside, Vani?" I whined, but Vanitas seemed to ignore me. "Vanitas! Earth to Vanitas!?"

Vanitas, walking a few steps outside, spread his arms out wide and yelled out, "Xion, only one such as I can understand the beauty and power of a storm like this!" I sighed. He was always like this. And then the next strike of lightning hit. And the tree in front of the house snapped in half, landing inches away from Vanitas's feet. "Can't you just see it, Xion?"

"All I see is an idiot," I shot back, blowing the hair out of my face. I began walking towards Vanitas to attempt to pull him back. When I got in the doorway to grab his arm, I looked into the sky and saw the dark clouds above twisting and turning, slowly inching its way downward. "Um, Vanitas…?"

"Twister," Vanitas said, staring in awe at the storm. "Beautiful."

"Vanitas!" I yelled at him in anger. "I'm going to the storm cellar." I inched my way passed Vanitas and rushed to the back yard, where I saw the wooden doorway leading underground to our basement and storm cellar. I swung the door open and proceeded to step inside. I looked back to my boyfriend. "Vanitas!"

"Coming, babe!" Vanitas called back and ran to me, stepping onto the first step leading down into the cellar. He looked back up, and the two of us couldn't believe our eyes. In front of the backside of our house, heading straight towards the cellar and completely dodging the house, was the blackened, swirling form of a tornado. "Twister!"

Twilight Town rarely had weather like this. Vanitas had finally realized the incoming danger, so he grabbed the wooden door and slammed it shut. He walked downstairs, but hurried up and turned around to see the door being ripped off of its hinges.

Suddenly the force of the wind seemed very powerful, and I felt like I was floating. I then noticed…I was flying towards the tornado, and I gripped the sides of the opening of the cellar, my legs flailing about on the inside of the dark tornado. My hands let go, and…I felt warmth. Vanitas's hands grabbed mine, and he had saved me from flying off.

As if on cue when his hands grabbed mine, the tornado vanished and my feet landed softly on the ground. "Vanitas…" I muttered. He then held me tight. "I hate weather." And then… Vanitas chuckled.


	18. First Time

**18. First Time **

**Word Count: 460  
POV: Third Person  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

Vanitas and Xion were laying down in bed, hugging each other tightly as a movie played on the television. It didn't take long for Xion to remember Kairi's words. _Xion, I dare you to ask Vanitas to initiate your first time with him. Then tell us all about it. _Xion swallowed hard. What Kairi had said a few months ago threw her off a bit. Would Vanitas actually _do it_ with her? Well, considering Vanitas was who he was, there'd be no doubt that he'd be first in line to have his first time with her.

"Xion, what are you thinking?" Vanitas said calmly into Xion's ear, making her jump. "You know, I heard what Kairi had said a few months ago." Xion's eyes widened. "Do you wanna have your first time?"

"Um…what?" Xion asked, obviously flustered. She hadn't expected this so soon. She looked to Vanitas who slowly slipped out of his shirt and pulled down his pants, throwing them off the side of his bed. "Wait…what are you…"

"Stay calm, Xion, this is what we both want," Vanitas said in his soothing voice. He slipped out of his boxer shorts and lay there nude, ready for Xion to do the same. "Come on, you wanna be able to tell the girls, right?" Xion hadn't thought Vanitas would actually _let _her go and blab about her experience to the girls. "I know what you want. And I can get it for you."

Xion smiled, slightly scared of what was going to happen, but Vanitas guided her through it, helping her slip out of her shirt and shorts. "I'm scared."

"Don't be," Vanitas replied, wrapping his arms around her neck as the two star-crossed lovers pressed their bodies against one another passionately as Vanitas stroked Xion's hair. "I'm gonna make sure you're not gonna be scared anymore. I'm here for you, no matter what."

Xion suddenly moaned without thinking as Vanitas entered her, and Vanitas just chuckled. A few minutes had gone by now, and both Vanitas and Xion were breathing heavily, yet still enjoyed the time spent together. "Ready to tell the girls of your first time? Tell me I'm going easy on you."

"You are…" Xion gasped for breath, hugging Vanitas tighter and pressing her naked body against his. "You're incredibly gentle for someone of your stature."

"What the hell that's supposed to mean?" Vanitas shot back, and then chuckled.

As the two made love, Xion replied, "So were you a virgin, or did you and Aqua—"

"Having a crush does _not _mean the same as sleeping with someone," Vanitas pouted, and turned around, facing away from Xion. The girl chuckled. Vanitas turned back to her. "Yes, I was a virgin. But now I'm not. Thanks…to you."

.

**I wasn't sure on how to write this, since I never really had sex, so i didn't go into detail, but I think I got the emotion down. Right?**


	19. Skull

**19. Skull**

**Word Count: 450  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

I once thought fate was trying to fulfill Xion and I's destiny…a future in which we live together happily no matter the consequence. But now I feel like every little sign tries to tell us that it won't work. For example, I was driving Xion somewhere and a truck ran into a certain sign, and the sign flew and hit the windshield of my car. On the sign read _Dead End_, as if it was meant for our relationship.

Signs and omens like that appeared all over Twilight Town, and to be honest, it started to freak Xion out a bit. The worst of it all was when our English teacher at Twilight High did an entire speech about losing the one you love and how love makes you do stupid things. And then she began quoting Romeo and Juliet. And then we went to Biology class.

Our teacher, Mr. Marluxia began teaching us all about the human skeleton and what each bone was named. He used the life-sized skeleton he had stored in his closet as a visual aid. The doorknob of the class started jiggling, and in walked…Sheriff Larxene?

"Marluxia, I need to speak with you for a minute," she said, and motioned her hand in her direction, beckoning Marluxia closer. The two exited the room, leaving the students to talk to one another.

"What was that about?" Xion asked, just as confused as I was. We exchanged glances, and then stared at the skeleton that stood in the middle of the room. "What is Larxene doing here?"

"I'm not sure," I replied, though I truthfully didn't care. The woman let us stay in my father's house without being sent to an orphanage. She covered all the bills and was the one who discovered both Xion's mom and my dad in their dying state. Surely she was to be trusted. Right?

And without warning, the skeleton started shaking, as did all of the desks and even the can of coke on Marluxia's desk. "What's happening?" Olette said from the back of the class.

"Earthquake?" Xion stumbled over her own words as our desks shook violently, the ground beneath our feet becoming unsettling. The skull of the skeleton fell off, landing in front of my feet as I stared down at it with distaste. "Another omen?"

"Damn it," I said, gritting my teeth. I wasn't one to believe in the supernatural, but there must've been some kind of power at work. "Nobody tells me what I can or can't do. Dad couldn't." I slammed my foot down, cracking and then further crushing the skull, bits of artificial skull fragments littering the ground. And with that, the earthquake had ended.


	20. Pain

**20. Pain**

**Word Count: 500  
POV: Xion  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

I don't know who told. I sure didn't. And I know Vanitas would never. But during school hours, someone had called me the "Queen of Incest". And now all day people call me names, hurt me, or bad-mouth Vanitas. I only have two classes with Vanitas, so he's not with me twenty-four-seven.

I ran down the halls of the school during recess, trying to avoid anyone that would happen to know my secret. And Vanitas was nowhere to be seen. I stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind me, turning off the light while I was at it. I slipped into a stall, closed the stall door, and bawled my eyes out in my knees as I sat in a fetal position.

"Queen of Incest!" "Emo!" "Silent Xion!" "Crybaby!" "Miss Nonexistence!" All were names people had called me for the past two days. And I don't know what I did wrong. Kids…they could be _so_ cruel. But then again, I used to think the same of Vanitas up until the point where we realized we loved each other. Now he's not cruel. Quite the opposite, actually.

But as I sat there, I dug into my pocket and brought out a small pocketknife that Vanitas had given me in case anyone would attack me. I flipped the knife out and slid it lightly against my skin, feeling the cold metal sliding against my warm skin. "Vanitas would hate me," I muttered to myself, tears streaming down my face as they dripped onto my knife-wielding hand.

"Nothing can hurt more than the pain I'm feeling," I replied to myself, sure that nobody could hear my silent voice. I stared at the knife in the darkness, the color of my eyes glinting off of the shining metal of the knife. I slid the knife against my arm a little too rough, and I saw the bright red liquid dribbling out of the small cut. "My blood…" I winced from the small amount of pain that stung at my arm.

And then I heard the door open. I scrambled to my feet as the lights on the ceiling sprung to life, and I heard a voice call out, "Xion, are you in here?"

It was Vanitas. "Get out; I'll be out in a minute!" That didn't sound too convincing. I heard the footsteps come closer to the stall. I took took a small towel that was on the sink, ran a little water on it, and wrapped it around the small cut on my arm. Tying it, I stepped out of the stall and was now face-to-face with Vanitas. "Hey!" Vanitas looked down at the towel. "Oh…I tripped."

After that, he lifted me up and carried me in his arms out of the bathroom. "Are you in pain?" Vanitas asked. _More than you know, Vani_," I thought silently as he carried me off. A lot of people made faces at me, but now I didn't care. Vanitas was with me.


	21. Ghost

**21. Ghost**

**Word Count: 500  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

I didn't want to wake Xion up, so I tried to creep out of bed without making a sound. But of course, as luck would have it, my foot got tangled in the blanket and I fell out of bed. Luckily for me, though, Xion hadn't stirred from her position on the right of my bed. I slowly crept out of my room so I can get to the fridge and get myself any little snack I could find.

For an odd reason, my footsteps seemed magnified in sound, and my breathing sounded rapid and loud. Every slight sound in the old house sounded loud to me. I wasn't so sure why, though. I blinked his eyes a few times, and every time I opened my eyes again I could've sworn I saw a figure made out of light in front of me. I closed his eyes, rubbed them, and opened them again to find nothing.

And then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I whipped around to look back towards my room at the end of the hallway, but saw nothing. "Calm down," I breathed, and turned back around, only to be face-to-face with…my father. I stared at the man with wide eyes. "How…?"

The glowing figure of my father dimmed a bit and then spoke, "Vanitas, we haven't much time. The future looks bleak for you two."

It sounded like he was warning me of something. And this man beat Xion. Why would I trust him? Then again…how was he here right now? Was he…a ghost?

"As long as the two of you date, things will keep happening until one of you, or the both of you will inevitably be hurt."

"What?" I asked, not caring how confused I looked to my father. What was he talking about? All those omens that seemed to follow Xion and I around wherever we went? That's just simple bad luck. But right now he was talking about…one of us being harmed? "Why should I believe you?"

"Because, in the future, shall come the climax of your actions," Father spoke again. "Love comes with a price. And with the two of you, the price is death. Be careful. Watch the signs. And beware."

"Beware what!?" I yelled. And just like that, my father flickered out of existence. I blinked my eyes, and then felt a hand on my shoulder. Whipping around, I saw Father again. "Beware…what?"

"Death…is the price that can hardly be avoided," Dad said. "Watch the signs…they'll let you know when Death is coming to collect its toll. And…beware the Traitors." And Dad vanished again; this time was for good.

"Traitors?" No good. He never returned. I walked back to my room to see a bright light shining from the doorway. I squinted my eyes, and amidst the light, towering over Xion was her mother, a hand on Xion's forehead, her hair flowing in a nonexistent wind. She looked and winked at me, the spirit vanishing.

Xion's eyes opened.


	22. Tragedy

**22. Tragedy**

**Word Count: 500  
POV: Third Person  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

People ran the streets, unable to comprehend what was going on. Fire and debris littered the ground and over a hundred dead where they stood. Vanitas pushed through the crowds of the endless amounts of people, looking for Xion. "Xion!" His voice ached as he fell onto his knees, blood, sweat, and tears dripping off of his face. He looked to the sky and saw an airplane falling eerily lower than it should be. Vanitas closed his eyes, expecting the impact, and the large _BOOM! _of an explosion filled his ears.

He looked up at the Twilight Town clock tower, where the plane had crashed into. Bits of plane scattered across the ground below, the Twilight Tower bent and the clock on it shattered. Over the roar of the noise all around him, he could tell the distinct shrieking of Xion. He looked up and saw a small dot hanging from the balcony of the Twilight Tower. He squinted his eyes to see the dot better. And of course, his fear was realized. It was Xion.

"Xion!" Vanitas screamed, his heart tearing apart even more, as he dashed towards the Twilight Tower. Before he could get within feet of the building, he was blocked off by the security guard of that area…Sheriff Larxene. "Larxene, let me through!"

"Are you stupid?" Larxene shouted back. "That plane freaking crashed into the Tower! You can't get through!"

"Xion's up there! She's still alive!" Vanitas yelled back, and pushed passed Larxene, entering the building. Half of an airplane was inside of the building, completely enveloped in flames. Other than the debris around him, the place was completely empty. He ran up the stairs and finally saw light on the outside.

He stepped onto the balcony at the end of the long staircase, where he saw the top half of the tower bent in half and half of the balcony completely ripped off and on the ground below.

He heard Xion's screams clearer now. He rushed to Xion who was hanging off the edge of the balcony. He reached for her hand, and when Xion saw him, she immediately started grabbing for his hand. They held their hands in a warm embrace, as Vanitas tried pulling the girl up. When she was now to the side of Vanitas on the balcony, the two looked straight ahead passed the balcony to see a plane heading straight for them.

And through the front plane window, clear as day, was Marluxia. Their own teacher. Piloting the plane to crash into the Tower. Before it collided with the tower, Vanitas grabbed Xion in a very tight embrace, and he made the two of them fall off of the tower. As they fell slowly, the plane exploded above them as soon as it hit the tower. And then Vanitas and Xion hit the ground.

Vanitas opened his eyes and found himself and Xion in a hospital room. He looked to his right… Marluxia, alive and well, staring at them, smirking.

.

**This is a tribute to all those who died on 9/11. Of course, Vanitas and Xion and Marluxia don't die because…they're main characters. Rest in peace, anyone who passed away that day.**


	23. Gunshot

**23. Gunshot**

**Word Count: 499  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

Lying there, my body all bruised and banged up, I felt utterly useless. To my left was Xion, sleeping soundly. As I remembered correctly, when the two of us had fallen, I had allowed Xion to land on me when I hit the ground. She took a lot less of the damage that way. But to my right, who should've been splattered into a million pieces, was our very own Biology teacher, Marluxia.

He held his cold stare into my eyes until I tried to talk, in which he laughed at rather maniacally. "How does it feel, Vanitas? You should be dead."

Cockily I replied, "So should you." He didn't lower his gaze. "I'm supposed to live, as is Xion. Nothing can kill us. Our love is too strong for that. But tell me, how are you alive? I saw you in that plane of yours. You tried to kill us!"

"That's what parachutes are for," Marluxia replied, sticking his hand into his pocket. "I have people who help me out. And I want to let you know…I know who killed your parents." My eyes widened, and I heard Xion stirring from her own bed. "Quite simple, really, and it's been staring in your face this whole time! Someone you deem your friend, your ally, someone you thought you can trust! Who's been helping you out! This person ended your pathetic parents' pathetic lives! And I'm here to end yours!"

He yanked a gun from his pocket, pointing the weapon at me with wild eyes. "Whoa, let's not be hasty here!" I shouted back. Was this guy nuts? What did he stand to gain for killing Xion and I? "Let's think about this rationally now!"

"I'm done being rational," Marluxia spat back, inching the gun closer to me. "Your parents ended everything good going for me. Your mother had to quit her job with me to pursue having a family, and your father fired me from the greatest job I've ever had. The both can burn in Hell now."

What was Marluxia talking about? What job did he have? Did he and Xion's mom work together? What was this about my dad firing him? There were too many unknowns circling my head.

"Killing you now will be doing the world a favor," the pink haired man said, smiling wickedly at me. "Now die, and fall into the depths of oblivion!" He trained his gun on me, pressing it against my cheek and slowly beginning to pull the trigger. "But…it mustn't be done at this moment." He lowered his gun. "When the two of you get out of here, then you'll have to deal with me, and the one who's killed your parents. Good luck, child."

He pointed his gun upwards and fired, a loud gunshot ringing in my ears as I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Marluxia was gone, and Xion was slowly sitting up where she lay. What was I to do now…what should I do?


	24. Voodoo

**24. Voodoo**

**Word Count: 500  
POV: Xion  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

It happened once, so it could happen again. I know it seems crazy, but for the past few weeks, every night I had a dream of my mother, visiting me when I slept, and she would always say the same thing: beware the traitors. Who did I know…that would soon betray me in the end? She would never stick around for long though. I also haven't decided whether to tell Vani anything about it. I wouldn't want to bother him while he searches for our parents' supposed killer. He seems pretty motivated, even if his dad wasn't the best person in the world.

When Vani fell asleep, I slipped out of bed and headed to my old bedroom. I smiled at the sight before me. Candles arranged in a circle on my floor with a tall candlestick in the center of them. I had set this up the other night, the day after we were released from the hospital. I couldn't tell Vani what I was doing. Some sort of…voodoo-type magic. I was trying to summon the dead.

I took a lighter from my shelf and lit all of the candles. "Mom…" I muttered, unsure of what to say. "If you're here, watching over me like you always said you would, then give me a sign. Any sign." I heard the clattering of something nearby. I whipped my head around me and I saw the picture frame that held a picture of mother. It was on the floor face-first. "No way…"

I went to the picture frame and lifted it up. As I did that, the glass shattered and I felt warmth…all around me. I turned around and had to shield my eyes from an intense light. The light materialized into a form I recognized. My mother. Her dark black hair blew about in nonexistent winds, and her eyes shined with pure white energy. "Xion…" her warm voice spoke, filling every ounce of my being with…love and…warmth? "You summoned me…?"

"Mom," I said, tears starting to leak down my face. "No, I can't cry now." I shook my head violently. "Who…are the traitors?"

"The one who knows too much," my mom said as if in a trance. "And the anomaly." As if snapping out of it, she screamed, "Xion, stop meddling with the dead, or what is supposed to remain unseen! You have to be careful! They're after you!" I arched an eyebrow. "Listen…I can't give any answers, so a hint will suffice. Per se, it is not you and Vanitas who Marluxia is mad at." _Marluxia_? "What if I told you it was another version of yourself whom is the culprit of Marluxia's anger?"

_What the hell did that mean_?

In an instant, my mother dissolved into light and I felt what felt like a gun pressed against the back of my head. "End of the line," came a voice from behind me. Immediately frightened, I whipped around to see…no-one. Nobody was there…things just got even more confusing.


	25. Insomnia

**25. Insomnia**

**Word Count: 352  
POV: Xion  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

I had not slept for days. Everywhere I turned, I saw a gun aimed at my head. Every time I fell asleep, I would hear a gunshot that would make me stay up the rest of the night. Every time I leave the house it feels like I'm being followed. As if there was nowhere I could run.

_"__The one who knows too much, and the anomaly." _I replayed my mother's words, trying to make sense of it all. Who were these people? Who knew too much? What did she mean anomaly? I've tried time and time again to summon my mother again, but she would never appear. I was nearly clawing my hair out, trying to find the solution. Past midnight, I slipped out of bed after hearing Vanitas snore one too many times.

After stepping into the bathroom, now looking into the mirror, I saw my reflection shimmering before me. My form shifted until it looked like my mother, a glowing radiance behind her. "Mom!" I shouted with a smile, and her hand extended from the mirror to cover my mouth. When she released, I whispered, "Mom…what did you mean before!?"

My mom's mouth morphed into a twisted smile that shook me down to the core. Her whole form shifted until she looked like…Larxene. In her hand was a gun, and she pointed it at me, and fired a bullet. The glass in front of me was smashed, shattering the false illusion.

I blinked twice. The mirror was exactly how I had left it. How on earth did that illusion actually _break_ a mirror? And then I felt it…something cold and cylindrical against the back of my neck. A voice began to laugh behind me. "End of the line."

Not this again! I closed my eyes, hoping it was just another illusion. But when I opened my eyes, the cold, dead feeling was still there. I darted my eyes to the right to look into a tiny shard of glass that stayed intact with the mirror. And in it I saw a familiar, pink headed individual.

"Marluxia!?" I shouted out.


	26. Realization

**26. Realization**

**Word Count: 430  
POV: Vanitas  
Vanitas: Sixteen years old  
Xion: Fifteen years old**

A gunshot. I fell out of bed, hitting my head with a thud. Untangling myself from the mess of blankets, I had realized that Xion wasn't in bed. Where had she gone? The cold metal feeling of a knife pressed against the back of my neck, and a familiar sinister voice said, "Well, well, not as good as you used to be, eh?"

"Larxene…" I said, scowling at the familiar presence behind me. "What did you do with Xion? What is this?"

"Oh, so foolish," Larxene snickered behind me, taking away the knife and stepping in front of me, showing her smirking face that I wanted to punch so badly. "Are you sure you're Vanitas? You don't seem the same."

"What do you mean?" I shouted back, but Larxene vanished from sight. "What?" I widened my eyes as I fell to the floor, my head being shoved into the carpet roughly, the clawed hands of Larxene squeezing against my scalp. "Larxene!"

"What if I told you that right now, what I'm doing, is making you pay for your _other_'s sins!" I tried looking up at Larxene in confusion, but she pushed me down even harder. "Oh, you look clueless. That's okay. I'll give you the info you need." She relieved my head and I was able to sit up again, staring up at the tall woman. "You are not the _only_ Vanitas in this world, you see. What happened between us is but merely a sin committed by your _other self_."

She was still as confusing as ever. "What does that mean?" I asked. "My _other self_? You're making no sense."

"Shut up and let me explain!" I was kicked in the gut, falling over and hitting my head once again. She stepped onto my head, making sure I stayed down this time. "If you're looking for your precious Xion, Marluxia should be dealing with her right now."

"I thought you two were supposed to be our friends! You guys helped us out! Why has all of this happened?" Questions kept erupting from my mouth. "Now you're nothing but a bunch of…a bunch of…_Traitors_." The word felt awfully familiar coming from my mouth. My dad's spirit had said to beware the traitors. _Traitors_. Larxene and Marluxia!? "What are you going to do now?"

"The time has come," Larxene said, inching her mouth closer to my ear, licking her lips as she whispered. "The two of you will die. That'll save us from all the pain and suffering you will cause us. It's the end of the line for you, Vanitas."


End file.
